Dr. Ashok Gadgil wins 2012 $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation

Congratulations to Dr. Ashok Gadgil, recipient of the 2012 $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation in recognition of his steady pursuit to blend research, invention, and humanitarianism for broad social impact. Gadgil is a chair professor of Safe Water and Sanitation at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, whose diverse inventions and sustainable innovations are helping those in the developing world to live healthier, safer lives.

The award, presented by the Foundation’s long term partners at the Lemelson-MIT program, recognizes individuals whose technological innovations improve the lives of impoverished people in the developing world.  The award also establishes (or creates) inventor role models who can inspire youth to solve challenges in the developing world through invention.

A physicist by training whose unwavering curiosity and commitment to employ his expertise to benefit humankind, Dr. Gadgil’s research has led to a string of inventions and innovations from safe drinking water solutions and a utility-sponsored energy efficiency program, to fuel-efficient stoves for displaced persons in Africa. He also works with stakeholders in beneficiary communities to rally support and increase adoption of his inventions. His innovative solutions, which integrate science with cultural needs, have helped an estimated 100 million individuals in dozens of countries across four continents.